The loading of conveyor belts often results in portions of the load spilling off the rails and tail of the conveyor system. Any material lost during loading results in reduced efficiency and profitability. In vertically loaded conveyor belts involving vertical chutes, the loss of material through the tail end of the conveyor belt is particularly a problem. The downward forces caused by the vertical loading pushes the load materials in every direction. Past systems have attempted to solve this problem by installing large tail boxes on the tail end of the vertical chute and are designed to capture any ‘dust up’ or back spillage from the conveyor belt load.
Not only are the tail boxes large and expensive, but the tail seals used by such boxes often have unique problems themselves. For example, many seals create a harmonic with the moving conveyor belt, which can result in material being trapped under the seal and eventually pushed out the tail end of the conveyor system. In an attempt to reduce such back spillage many seals are engaged tightly against the conveyor belt, which results in an undesired ‘cleaning’ of the belt. This ‘cleaning’ causes additional wear on the belt and results in a build-up of material at the point where the conveyor belt enters the tail box.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved conveyor tail system that not only provides for minimized spillage in the tail end of a conveyor belt, but also addresses the disadvantages associated with the tail boxes and tail seals of the prior art.